"Return record?" I was stunned by the information Green Calyx brought me and repeated it subconsciously. Then, I suddenly reacted and pounced in front of the Elf girl. "In other words, after the Green Star escaped from the polluted Old Empire District, it returned once again? But the return record can't be found in the navigation log. Someone deleted it?! "
"We can't confirm it to that extent yet." Green Calyx seemed to be shocked by my agitated attitude and her neck shrank. Other than when she was chasing after Liliana, this Elf girl was very timid. "The Mother Tree's memories are very blurry, just like the consciousness of a race. After the second reading of the memories by us ordinary Elves during the cycle of life and death, the records became even more blurry. So, we can only roughly confirm that the Green Star returned briefly after leaving the polluted area. As for whether it was an order from the planet's core or some other force, we don't know. Also, we can't confirm if the planet's navigation log has been modified … There are no traces on the log except for the return record. However, we can't find any deleted records, nor can we find any errors or gaps in the log. "
Seeing that I was frowning in thought, Green Calyx carefully added, "The Mother Tree's memories are very blurry, it doesn't even have the time of the return, so there is no way to reverse the date in the log."
I looked at the nervous expression on the elf lady's face and smiled at her as I waved my hand. "Relax, relax. I'm just a little surprised by your news … You're definitely the first person in history to successfully escape and return to the Empire's Ark District. Zadom, you are Halland's general. You should have been there when the Green Star was modified, right? "
During the era of the Old Empire, the Tree Elves were Halland's kin. However, the two didn't have much time to get to know each other. After the Tree Elves were discovered by the Empire and classified as a "highly intelligent race with potential for development", a catastrophe occurred. The Long Ears didn't even have the chance to fight a single battle with Halland before they were sent to the Ark. There weren't many stories between them, so I often accidentally forgot about their old relationship. However, they didn't forget that after Halland was recruited into the new Empire, the Tree Elves quickly recognized their former benefactor and became friends. Now that I saw Zadom at the scene, I knew that he was also attracted by Green Calyx's information. He probably wanted to help with the investigation.
"We can confirm that there isn't a problem with the preset program or the automatic navigation system," Zadom nodded. Although he was the general in charge of the battle, he wasn't one of the designers and builders of the Green Star. However, it was a chaotic time and Halland's subordinates were able to maintain their sanity and provide the final protection for the Tree Elves. Therefore, he was quite familiar with the situation of the Green Star. "I went to the scene with the expert who was responsible for writing the navigation program. The planet's core didn't malfunction, and there weren't any background programs. However, there is no way to confirm whether the log was tampered with by someone else. We also can't find any evidence of its sudden return tens of thousands of years ago. We can't prove it, but we can't prove it either. From my point of view … It is inconceivable for the Ark to suddenly return after escaping from the Empire District. "
"The memories of the Mother Tree can't be wrong!" Green Calyx said softly but firmly. In the hearts of all the Tree Elves, the Mother Tree held an extraordinary position. If she had to choose between the log and the Mother Tree to believe, she would rather choose the Mother Tree.
Although the primitive memories of life weren't as accurate as the log.
"I also believe in the memories of the Mother Tree," I raised my right hand towards Zadom to show my support for Green Calyx. "After all, no one has a reason to tamper with the memories of a plant that had already 'died' back then. It is meaningless, and no one in the entire Void World would benefit from it. I believe that the Green Star's log was tampered with by someone. Furthermore, the tampering method was very clever and didn't leave any traces. However, the person who did it obviously didn't expect the Mother Tree to have such a miraculous trait like racial memory. The strange talent of mortals is something that even the Gods would occasionally be confused about. "
"Yeah, a portion of the experts do have the same thoughts." Zadom didn't insist on his own intuition and chose to believe in the experts. Then, his expression turned regretful. "It is a pity that the scientists who helped the Tree Elves build the core of the planet are all dead. Otherwise, we would have been able to analyze the planet fortress better."
"When the Green Star set sail, there was no one else on it other than the Tree Elves, right?" I pondered over the possible explanation for this' return 'as I looked at Zadom curiously. "Including the Shiring Apostles, the advanced AIs that aren't included in the navigation system, and anyone else."
"No," Zadom said resolutely. "The Abyss spreads through the spiritual network. Hence, no Shiring Apostles are allowed to board the Ark. We can't spread the contamination out. This is an order given by Her Majesty Halland. I believe no one would go against it. "
"But what if the contaminated Apostles boarded the Ark without anyone noticing?" I frowned. "The contaminated do not accept the old order."
This time, Zadom paused. He seemed to be shaken by this conjecture as well. But in the end, he shook his head. "It's also impossible. Firstly, when the Green Star set sail, we did a detailed check and confirmed that there was no one on the planet who wasn't on the list. Secondly, the contaminated Apostles are different from the Fallen Apostles that were born later on. The former were born during the early stages of the calamity. They were completely insane and chaotic creatures while the latter were born after a long period of time. They had a drastic change in temperament but were still rational creatures. Your Majesty, you also know that the Fallen Apostles were partially purified under the influence of the Void Creatures. They weren't purified during the early stages of the calamity. As for those chaotic creatures … they don't know how to endure. It's impossible for them to wait for the Ark to fly out for a period of time and for all the normal Apostles in the Empire District to be wiped out before returning. They don't have the brains to do so. "
The matter seemed to have reached an impasse. The information that we currently had was far from being able to explain the problem of the Green Star's return. Thus, I stopped dwelling on the cause and focused on the result. "Green Calyx, have you discovered any hidden dangers or traces of damage on the planet? Or perhaps the Tree Elves themselves … err, 'physical problems'? "
During the long drifting of the Green Star, the Tree Elves had relied on hibernation pods to survive for so many years. Thus, it was highly possible that the rash return of the Green Star to the Abyss District had left behind some negative effects. Furthermore, these negative effects might have remained in the hibernation state of the Tree Elves. Perhaps they hadn't discovered it yet.
"We haven't discovered any abnormalities yet." Green Calyx shook her head. "There are some damages to the planet's structure. However, every single damage can be found in the logs. We can confirm that it happened during the drifting process. There aren't any problems with the Tree Elves' physical condition. We can directly receive blessings and revelations from the Goddess of Life. The eyes of God are able to see through everything. After carrying out a large-scale prayer, we didn't discover any problems. "
Due to her innate affinity, the Tree Elves had worshipped Jingle on a large scale. However, after hearing Green Calyx's confident words, I couldn't help but lower my head to look at the pocket in front of my chest. Listening to the indistinct 'kacha kacha' sounds, it was Jingle secretly chewing on a candy. I was already too lazy to teach her not to eat in someone else's pocket.
I wanted to say something, but in the end, I didn't say it. In the field of expertise, Jingle indeed didn't drop the ball. Furthermore, being able to foresee the effects of the Abyss and its derivative effects was a natural talent of the Protoss. It had nothing to do with intelligence. If Green Calyx said that there were no problems, then there should really be no problems.
"In other words, other than the memories of the Mother Tree, there aren't any traces related to the return journey in the logs, the planet itself, or the bodies of the Tree Elves …" I furrowed my eyebrows. Then, I suddenly thought of something. "When the Green Star first set sail, when the planet fortress was in a good state, the Tree Elves had yet to collectively enter hibernation. At that time, you were manually controlling the planet and often came to live on the surface of the Green Star. During this period of time, the Green Star didn't 'return' — unless the memories of your entire race were tampered with."
Green Calyx nodded her head. Zadom, who was beside her, also showed an unsurprised expression of agreement. It was obvious that the two of them had already considered this problem.
"In other words, the 'return journey' happened after the environment of the Green Star deteriorated." I nodded my head and concluded. "As the environment of the Green Star deteriorated, the Tree Elves had no choice but to enter hibernation in batches. Soon after, the entire race left the real world and lived in the virtual world. At this time, your planet suddenly returned to the Empire District. Because everyone was in hibernation, no one knew about this matter … Wait, there should still be people who know about this!"
"Yes, the 'navigators' should know about this." Green Calyx bit her lower lip. "This is also our biggest problem. In the tens of thousands of years of voyaging, although most of our race entered the virtual world, the planet was always monitored. Although there weren't many navigators, they never missed work. Furthermore, no matter how short the return journey of the Green Star was, it was impossible for the navigators to ignore it … This is unexplainable."
"Have you asked the navigators? What did they say? "I raised my head and looked at Zadom.
"They didn't find anything. The navigators confirmed that there were always people on duty during the voyage of the Green Star. Furthermore, there were several navigators monitoring each other at any time. They used this method to prevent anyone from falling into a mental disorder. However, it is basically impossible for all the navigators to fall into a mental disorder at the same time." Zadom shook his head. "No one could remember any return records of the Green Star. After the planetary fortress left the polluted area, it fled towards the depths of the void. According to the preset procedures, it avoided all the colonies of the Empire and worlds with the Abyss Reaction. The navigators' personal logs also confirmed this point. In addition, the navigators' personal logs were divided into two copies. One was kept privately and the other was stored in the database for everyone to check and keep at any time. This was also to prevent anyone from going insane and not being discovered in time. The Tree Elves are a very cautious race. "
During the long period of drifting on the Green Star, the Tree Elves lived in the sealed underground space for a long period of time. As their resources decreased, the spaceship's equipment became older and older. This brought them great psychological pressure. Under such circumstances, they were able to come up with a plan to survive in the virtual world in time. Furthermore, they built something like a 'Projection Paradise' in the planet's core. This was enough to show that these long-eared creatures possessed tenacious and cautious characteristics. Then, as the most elite of the Tree Elves, the records left behind by the navigators should be true and trustworthy. Furthermore, they should not have been erased due to going insane. At the same time, considering that the Tree Elves did not have the time to grasp the operating skills taught by the Empire, they were also unable to completely control the Green Star. Therefore, the possibility of the navigators going insane and returning to the planet was further ruled out.
"Unless there was a fallen emperor like Sandora who took action and twisted all the memories of the entire planet, including the brains of the people and the data disks of the AI." I glanced at Zadom, but I knew that the possibility of this conjecture was even lower. Putting aside the question of whether there was such a fallen emperor who could coincidentally catch up to the Green Star, even if there was one, what was his motive?
Letting the Ark of Exile, which had already escaped, return to the polluted area before releasing it, without any damage or trouble, just to scare the archaeologists a few years later? If there really was a fallen emperor who had such thoughts, I would be able to see the cuteness of him …
After thinking for a long time, it seemed that I could not find any explanation from the available information. Although the Green Star did not seem to have any hidden dangers because of this' return ', it was still a matter related to the collapse of the old Empire. No matter what, I could not let my guard down.
Thus, the corner of my mouth twitched as I made a decision. "Bring me to the Mother Tree to take a look at the situation."
In any case, I had nothing much to do at the moment. The deep diving project was not something that a layman like me could understand. While Sandora and a group of experts were busy, as the head of the Empire, I had to pretend to be diligent and love the people …
"The memories of the Mother Tree can only be obtained when the Tree Elves are in a cycle of life and death …" Green Calyx reminded me instinctively. Then, as if she had just realized something, she said, "Oh right, you guys shouldn't have such a restriction."
I smiled. However, considering that I was not sure if I could communicate with the Mother Tree, and that Jingle, who was in my pocket, was an idiot who couldn't even express her own thoughts, I decided to call a certain quick-witted fellow over. Thus, I called out through the mental connection. The next moment, a colorful teleportation door appeared beside me. A young lady dressed in a princess dress practically tumbled and crawled out of the door. "Boss, Boss, you called for me?! Liliana asked excitedly. Do you want me to serve you in bed? "
I knew that this fellow was up to no good. However, since Green Calyx was here, it seemed that there was no need to use the basket to deal with this lass. I casually grabbed Liliana by the collar and turned her towards the Tree Elf lady in front of me. "Look who this is?"
Green Calyx looked at the 'Messenger of Life' that she admired so much. Liliana bounced in midair as if she had been electrocuted. "B-B-B-Boss! You can't have an arranged marriage! Furthermore, my sexual orientation is very normal, Boss! Boss, put me down, put me down … "
I casually threw Liliana to Green Calyx and opened up the teleportation door to the Mother Tree. "Let's go."
In the vast and boundless world, boundless green wantonly rippled. Thick vines and tender green leaves intertwined together and covered the ground. From the layers of vines, I couldn't even see the color of the soil. It was as if the earth was the plant and the plant was the earth. The Mother Tree was the second most majestic plant I had ever seen other than the World Tree. Furthermore, if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't have the same divine radiance as the World Tree, this' giant vine 'that could cover an entire planet might even be ranked first. At the very least, it was on a very large scale.
Although it was called the 'Mother Tree', this was a name that was inherited from the Tree Elf culture. In my eyes, this plant was more like a combination of a vine and a shrub … However, this classification wasn't right either. This was because at certain 'nodes', it would also grow branches that resembled trees. This was a plant from another world. It was impossible to classify it using common sense from humans.
Following the development of the Empire in various fields, especially the cooperation between the Space Administration and the Military Command, the understanding of the various races became deeper. Many races that were related to the Empire received many benefits, and the races that had the closest relationship with the Empire were naturally the biggest beneficiaries. Not only did the Mother Tree of the Tree Elves receive the power of the Goddess of Life, it also received a new 'flower pot' about half a year ago, which was the special space that was specially allocated for the Tree Elves. It was attached to the shadow realm and was similar to the shadow realm, but on a smaller scale. Sometimes, I jokingly referred to this place as the 'Capital Office' of the Tree Elves in the capital of the Empire. As a race that had missions all over the Empire, they had to deal with many trivial matters every day. They deserved to have a larger residence in the shadow realm.
The other servant armies also had their own residences in the shadow realm, and they weren't limited to the shadow city. Some of them were assigned to colonized planets, and some of them received a small alternate dimension like the Tree Elves. However, overall, the Tree Elves' alternate dimension was the largest.
There were also a few Tree Elf villages on the nearby vines. They directly built houses on the branches of the Mother Tree to serve as their offices. However, I was here to communicate with the Mother Tree, so I didn't disturb the locals.
Even though I wasn't an expert in the power of life, I could still feel the dense vitality in all directions. I tried to spread my spiritual power to communicate with the green land beneath my feet, but just as I expected, I only received some vague feedback, as though I was sleep-talking.
High-tier spiritual power was indeed able to read the memories of the Mother Tree across species, but I couldn't understand this strange 'language'. This should require a more fundamental communication.
Liliana finally got my permission and struggled out of Green Calyx's embrace. She looked like a broken doll. She glared at me with a belly full of resentment, then sat down and began to communicate with the Mother Tree.
I took out Jingle from my pocket and found a small gap in the nearest vines. I stuffed her in and said, "Communicate with this plant. Find out what happened with the return of the Green Star back then."
I had already told her about the return of the Green Star through our spiritual connection. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known what had happened since she was busy eating candies.
Jingle looked around in a daze. Then, she came to her senses and said happily, "Haha! Jingle's leaves! "
… She finally remembered that the Mother Tree had used her leaves to revive the Mother Tree.
A light breeze carried a light rustling sound to everyone's ears. It seemed that the Mother Tree had also sensed the Goddess of Life's approach and was happily welcoming everyone.
"That's strange …" Liliana was even faster than Jingle. However, after she finished communicating with the Mother Tree, there was only confusion on her face. "I 'saw' this plant's memories with my own eyes. I also saw the return of the Green Star, but it felt … blurry and distorted. It felt more like a dream."
I was stunned. Dream?
Why would a starship that had escaped from the polluted area dream of returning to the old Empire!?
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